Ted Brown was born in 1960 in Steubenville, Ohio, the grandson of German, Greek and Jewish immigrants. Ted and his parents later moved to Wheeling, West Virginia, and Ted worked in the family business, an Ethan Allen furniture store, through high school.
He later moved to California and graduated from UCLA in 1984, earning a B. A. in political science with a concentration in Constitutional Law. Since then, he has worked in the insurance industry and is currently self-employed as an independent insurance adjuster, specializing in auto, property, and general liability cases. Ted and his wife Laura have been married since 1984. They lived in Southern California for many years before moving to Austin, Texas. Ted joined the Libertarian Party in 1979 and has been active his entire adult life. He is currently Chairman of the Libertarian Party of Travis County, Candidate Coordinator for the Libertarian Party of Texas, and a member of the Texas State Libertarian Executive Committee (SLEC).